Hepatitis C Vaccine Safe In Humans, Study Finds

11/5/2014

TIME
By Alexandra Sifferlin
​Why there might be an HCV vaccine on the horizon

The first human clinical trial of a new hepatitis C vaccine shows that it’s safe in humans, says a study published in the journal Science Translational Medicine. Researchers at the University of Oxford have shown that their first-of-its-kind vaccine for the transmissible liver disease is both effective and safe in an initial safety trial.

An estimated 3.2 million people in the U.S. have chronic hepatitis C, and most do not know they are infected because they don’t have visible or bothersome symptoms. Despite the emergence of effective (but pricey) drugs to treat hepatitis C in the last couple years, there’s still no vaccine.